Casting method and apparatus



June 11, E935., L. M. PATTERSON 0049340 cAsTING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 3, 193s 2 sheets-sheen 1 .Fune M, 1935. L. M. PATTERSON 2,004,340

CASTING METHOD AND APPARATUS V 'Filed Aug. s, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES; PAE-TENT OFI-Icam i Q 2,004,340# t l CASTING METHOD AND` APPARA'rUs 'Luther M. Parmesan, New Philadelphia, ohio` Application August, 19333; Serial No. 683,463 12 alarma.` (ci. 22-`2`3)` This invention relates to the artr of metal founding, and particularly to methods and apparatus for casting a composite article wherein one metal is solid andthe other applied thereto in a molten condition."

An important application lies in thefcasting off a low-melting metal, such as leadlor a leadalloyf` upon a preformed plate of a similar metaLsuch as astorage battery plate in agroupof such y plates, where a terminal connection oristrap is to be joined to the lugs or upon the battery plates.

` The practice prevailing prior to myinvention has been to precast theterminalpostor connecprojections f ormed tion, either without its'strap orl witha slotted plate lugs ina mold,

strap, assemble it with the and then fuse said connection to the lugs with added metal melted from strap 'slots with such flame. Thisrequires separate post-casting apparatus and'operations and the use` of relatively expensivei gas.

, While attempts have been made to form the 1 complete terminal connection upon the plate lugs rby pouring or iiowing the moltenmetal into a` mold surrounding the plate lugs, with the plates either in an upright,"an inverted or an intermediate position, diiiiculties have been encountered in manipulating the casting metall, maintaining it at the proper casting temperatureand solidifying the casting, and such methods have not been gen-v erally successful.

The object of my invention is to overcome the" objections to prior` casting processes and appa- 'ratus of this class and toprovide a simple and reliable procedure and apparatus forthe purpose mentioned, thereby dispensing withlthe precasting of the terminal connection `and with thefuse of soldering means and obtaining a better quality of work withless labor. These purposes are accomplishedfby means of the improved ladle casting expedientshereinafter describe Of the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a ver--v tical sectional View illustrating the mold-heating employed `in carrying` out my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail Vertical section illustrating the` of the ladle mold em-` ployed in Figs. 1,2 and 3.

Fig. 5 is atop plan view showingamodied form of ladlemold. i

` y a stick by means of an 1 Oxy-acetylene gas `flame, or solder the lugs in Zllexposed in position to receive the casting which,"

Fig.,i6 vis a section on the .line 5 6 of Fig. V5,

showing also a vmodified ladle cooler.

as illustrated-in Figs. `l to l, inthe casting ofi 151.2

terminals `-upon i storage-battery plates, `the ,pre-y formed pasted vpositive or negative `plates 20ct lead or lead alloy are `assembled side by sidefin` inverted positions in asuitable rackcrholder with the ends of their downwardly-projecting lugs of iniits finished forni,` is `aterminal 22composedof the `usual strap forfilat bar Z3 connecting the plate lugs and having a lug 24 for connection with the" external circuit, said lug in this instancebeing a taperedpost asillustrated in Fig. 3. Lead or lead alloy for the casting is melted in apot 25 to form a leadr pool llfby heat supplied to-the` exterior Yof said pot, as by means 'of'a gas ilame from a burner 2l. The pot hasashelf '25a forsupporting'theY 30rhandle of a ladle while its bowl is being preheated. Said pot is supported on the work-room-` floor near the casting station. i 28 is a dipping and casting ladle having a handle 29 anda bowl 39 in the form of amold whose? 35' cavity has the shapeto be imparted to the terminal l 22 which is to be'cast, the bowl having a down-` ward extension E30 "for casting `the terminal post.

' The operator carries an empty ladle 28, which has been cooled during a previous casting opera- 0^ tion, to the lead pot, and preheats the bowl 30 of said ladle by resting its handle on the shelf 25a and allowing thebowl to float on the molten lead pool while he `isA exchanging a united plate group for?r fresh plates in the casting rack. Then,to obtain 45 a cleared surface of the lead, he may use the ladle. bowl to pushaside the layer yof oxide dross 315i upon the upper surface of the molten lead. The ladle bowl is then dipped into the lead to obtain a' i castingcharge, and the ladle and contents are-` carried to the casting station. The operator brings up the ladle from below in a horizontal position until the ends of the plate lugs 2| are subek mergedin 'the molten body of lead in the mold 30, theheat of said molten body causingfusion of the lugs thereto, such fusion involving a preliminary melting of the lower ends of the lugs by contact with the hot mold bottom and a melting of the submerged portions of the lugs into the strap metal. At the same time, the casting metal is losing its heat to the plates and through the mold and ultimately solidies, leaving the ter- Y minal 22 as a solid casting upon the plate lugs.

Solidication of the molten casting metal is accelerated by artificial chilling of the mold by a suitable agency such as a holder 32 in the form of a chambered casing constituting a water-j acket for contact with the mold 3U, said packet having suitable inlet and outlet connections for circulating water therethrough. The mold and cooling jacket are preferably associated as shown in Fig. 3 before the ladle is carried into the casting position indicated in Fig. 2, the two together being then raised into the casting position, so that the fusion of the lugs to the casting metal andthe' chilling of said metal which results inits ultimate solidication can be proceeding concurrently. The shrinkage of the casting in reaching its solid state loosens it from the mold and the latter can then easily be withdrawn downwardly, with the aid of a tapping pin if necessary, upon depressing the holder 32, and used for another preheating, dipping and casting operation.

It will be seen that this method not only dispenses with separate precasting of the terminals and the use of flame welding, with all its attendant apparatus, forV uniting terminals to the plate lugs, but, as compared with previously proposed modes of casting terminals upon the plate lugs by means of permanently mounted molds into which the casting metal is pouredor flowed, it provides manipulative and temperature conditions which render this method successful where other casting methods have failed, and produces reliable castings in a minimum of time. The preheating of the molds by contact with the pot metal, avoidance of premature chilling of the casting metal by pouring it into a cold mold or carrying it through passages, the use of a casting u ladle for this purposeand the nal chilling of the ladle mold at the proper time, all contribute to the successful working of this method.

The cooling member 3i. is formed with a socket 32a into which the post-casting portion l 36 of the ladle bowl iits as a dowel to provide the best heattransmitting conditions and also to locate the ladle in proper casting position with reference to said cooling member and to the plate group. For fixing the ladle and cooling member in proper position rotatively, when said ladle is of the form shown in Figs. l. to` 4.-, there is further provided on the front side of the cooling member 32 a registering or bracket plate E32 having a notched upper end on which the stem of the ladle handle 29 res s.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a modified form of ladle 28e having a handle 29a and a dipping and casting bowl 3i]a whose cavity includes a horizontal portion 23EL for forming a terminal strap, and a con- Inecting vertical portion 2da at one end thereof for forming a vertical lug on said strap adapted to the type of buried intercell connector disclosed in my Patent 1,892,962 of January 3, 1933. The ladles and terminals of this type are made in i rights and lefts for positive and negative plate groups respectively. The cooling member 32 for a ladle of this type I prefer to form with a lateral extension |32a having a flat vertical face for heattransmitting and registering engagement with the l. ladle-bowl portion 24a, and I provide the bottQIIl of the ladle bowl with a downwardly-extending, heat-transmitting and bowl-centering, solid dowel itil@ to fit in the socket 32a oi the cooling member.

Figs. 7 to l0 inclusive represent a casting machine or apparatus including some of the instrumentalities above mentioned for carrying out my improved method. In this apparatus, a. frame 33 having suitable legs or standards is provided on its upper portion with a suitable number, such as six, of casting units, of which the two end ones are shown in Fig. 7. This multiple-unit casting apparatus may handle all the plate groups, positive and negative, for one six-volt battery, and may be operated by one man, allowing about three minutes for completing each terminal casting, from the time of inserting the lled ladle to the time of stripping it from the casting.

The frame includes a horizontal I-beam 54 with its web set vertically, a lower horizontal bar 35 of rectangular section over said I-beam and a an upper horizontal bar 36 connected with the bar 35 by vertical posts 3l. Each of the casting units includes a holder or rack 38 for holding a group of the battery plates 29 in inverted positions. The rack includes a bottom plate or block 39, vertical side plates 40 attached by screws thereto, and a top plate M attached by screws to the side plates and engaged by a clamping screw d2 on the bar 36, whereby the rack may be held in fixed position and adjusted horizontally when desired. to accommodate the spacing of different plate groups.

The iront Vside of the rack 38 is or may be provided with a series of vertical separating rods 43 xed in its top and bottom plates, and the bottom plate 39 is formed with horizontal grooves 39a on its upper side, extending from front to rear in alignment with the spaces between the bars, to receive the lower edges of the battery plates. When a bottom-plate or block 39 is employed, thicker than that illustratedand having deeper plate-receivingrgrooves, the .separating rods d3 are sometimes omitted. The bottom plate39 is also formed with longitudinally-extending vertical grooves at both ends, continuous with the horizontal grooves, belowwhich are located a series of laminated spring lingers 44 formed by slotting the ends of a series of spring plates which are centrally held to the under side of the bottom plate by a transverse clamping bar G5. These iingers act as equalizing springs engaging the lower edges oi the battery plates 20 whose upper edges abut against the top plate 4I of the holder as seen in Fig. 8, toI compensate for any slight inequalities in the height of said plates. On inserting the battery plates in this rack, their rea-r edges abut against a stop-bar 46 on the rack and their lugs 2l project downwardly at the front in position for receiving the terminal casting.

A dipping and casting ladle 28 with its for-k wardly-projecting handle 29 and mold 30 at thel rear end is seen in casting position in Fig. 8 and in the right-hand unit in Fig. 7 and in a depressed positionin the left-hand unit in Fig. 7.

Each unit includes a water-jacketed lower holdery 32, whose upper end is suitably recessed, as described, to receive the downwardly-projecting portion of the mold 3! as seen in Fig. 3, forengaging the under side of the casting ladle in heattransmitting relation thereto, and coacting therewith to maintain said ladle in casting position.

Said jacketed holder 32 is adapted to be raised and lowered into and out of operative position, and for this purpose, it is shown as mounted near `frame bar 52, 'whose ends the `forwardend of a hollow bar or arm 41 which is held thereonV by a retaininghub blockSl.` `The bar is yieldingly held in-its upper position byl a helical spring `suspended-from a horizontal tical frame standards extending bars 54.*of

53 mounted on rearwardly- `the `frame which support the rod 49 and are rearwardly supported from f below by frame bars 55. For holding the arm il in depressed position against the tension of spring 5|, there is provided a latch 56 guided in an open-ended slot 5l which is` formed in the frontfoot flange of the I-beam `31|, said latch being rpivoted at its upper end at 58 to a collar on the arm and having a shoulder 59 for taking under the foot of the I-beam, and a handle 60 for releasing the latch.

Wateris supplied to thejacket or holder member 32 through a rubber tube 6| mounted alongside of and bound by adhesive tapes to the arm and tube extend through a vertical slot 62 in the web of the I-beam. The delivery end of the tube 6| iscOnnected intoI the lower end of the jacket member 32, and from the upper end of said member leads a short rubber U-tube 63 connecting with the interior of arm 41. acts as a trunksupply members 32 of the several casting units, connecting with the inlet end of each tube 6| through a fitting 64 provided with a hand-operated valve 65 for regulating the water flow to the member 32. Discharge from the interior of arm 4`|` is led off .through a connecting tube or pipe 66 to a horizontal trunk discharge pipe `6'| suspended at its ends by hangers 68 from the pipe 49.

In the working of this apparatus,

completed assemblage of battery-plate group and terminal cast upon the `lugs of the plates, has depressed the cooling element 32 for that group and held its arm down with the latch 56 as in` dicated for the left-hand unit in Fig. 7, and has returned the cooled, empty ladle to its preheating position in the lead pot as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, he then removes the assemblage from the plate rack or work holder 38, lays it aside, inserts the proper number of fresh pasted and dried battery plates, one by one, in the rack, dips the ladle into the molten lead pool to obtain a charge of casting metal, brings it to the casting machine, fits it on the depressed cooling element 32 with one hand while the arm latch 56 is being released and the arm grasped with the other hand, and raises the cooling element and ladle into casting position in which theplate lugs 2| are `immersed in the casting charge, whereupon the lugs becomev fused to the terminal metal in the ladle. The casting is then left to solidify while the operator proceeds with the finished assemblage in the next unit and so on through the series.

It will be understood that the form of apparatus abovedescribed may be rather widely varied without departing from the scope lof my invention as defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A casting method which comprises preheating a ladle mold and dipping therewith from a pool of molten metal a body of said metal'having the form of the casting tobe made, bringing said body in the ladle mold from the pool and applying it from below onto a preformed metal 4are supported by ver- The supporting pipe 49` conduit for the cooling after theop-` erator has removed the casting ladle` 28 from a the molten body, and solidifyng `said body.

2. The methodof casting terminals upon storage-battery plateswhich comprises preheatingV a metallicterminal mold upon `a pool `of molten lead, then charging the mold by dipping `from.

said pool, immersing the lugs of preformed bat-` tery plates in the metal in said moIdthereby fusing said lugs into the molten terminal metal, and freezing the terminal metal by chilling the mold.

3. Casting apparatus comprising a portable Y ladle having `a bowl formed as a mold and a laterally projecting handle by which the ladle may be supported on a melting pot while said bowl is oated on heavier molten metal in said pot prior to dipping a casting charge therefrom, means for supporting a preformed metal article in casting position, and a holder movable away from said article-supporting means into ladle-receiving position and toward the same into operative positionfor detachably holding the charged ladle in casting relation to the article thus supported. 4`| and is returned through the arm. Said arm 4. Casting apparatus comprising an upper holder for an article to` be cast upon, a lower holder formed as a water jacket and mounted for retraction to a mold-receiving position and projection into casting position, and a portable ladle mold formed to detachably interflt with said lower holder, for` casting upon the article held in the upper holder a` member having the form of the cavity in the ladle mold and chilling the casting through the agency of the lower holder.

5. Casting apparatus comprising a holder for a groupof inverted battery plates, said holder including a casing having means defining. individual plate compartments, and beingformed to expose the ends of the plate lugs downwardly in position to receive a casting, `a spring plate slotted to form series of equalizing leaf-spring fingers in line with the respective compartments for engaging the lower edges of the plates, and

securing the latter to said holder.,

6. Casting apparatus comprising an upper a clamping bar under v,said plate for detachably` holder for a preformed article, and a lower mold holder pivotally mounted to swing in a vertical plane upwardly into casting position and downwardly into mold-receiving position, saidlower holder .in its elevated position being'separated from theupper holder by a space for accommodating a ladle mold carried by said lower holder.

7. Casting apparatus comprising an upper Yholder for apreformed article, a lower holder pivoted to swing in a vertical plane and adapted, in its upperposition, to maintain a mold in casting position, means for yieldingly elevating said lower holder, and latch means for holding it depressed in an inoperative position. Y

8. Apparatus'for casting terminals on battery plates comprising an upper rack for holding a group of the plates in inverted position, a ladle mold for casting the terminal upon the exposed ends of the downwardly-extending plate lugs, a lower holder mounted for movement in a vertical plane and formed as a Water-jacket for said mold, and means for circulating water through said lowerl holder.

9. Casting'apparatus comprising a water-jacketed cooling member, and a ladle having a bowl formed as a casting mold, said member and mold having separable, intertting contact walls including a lug-forming portion on the mold.

l 10. Battery-terminal casting apparatus` comprising a cooling'member and a mold separably lof,

mounted thereon, said member being formed with a socket, and said mold having avpost-lug forming portion acting as a dowel in said socket.

l11.Battery-tern'iinal casting apparatus comprising a water-jacketed mold holder having an end socket and an external mold-engaging side face, and a terminal-casting mold separably mounted thereon and having a -dowel in said socket and a lug-forming portion fitting said 10U side face.

- 12. Casting; apparatusV comprising an upper holder for supporting in casting position an article to be cast upon, and a lower holder formed as a water-jacket having a cavity for receiving a portableladle'mold, said lower holder being mounted for movement away from the upper holder, into mold-receiving position, and for movement toward said upper holder, into operative position.

LUTHER M. PATTERSON. 

